Montserrat to Benefit from OECS Tissue Culture and Greenhouse Facility

The Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Housing, Environment and Youth and Sports (MALHEYS) is set to benefit from a new Tissue Culture and Greenhouse facility, supported under the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ (OECS) Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) initiative.

The state-of-the-art facility, which is expected to take five months to complete, will provide Montserrat with advanced tools for agricultural research, food production, and environmental conservation. The project is being undertaken in partnership between MALHEYS and the OECS, whose mission is “to drive and support sustainable development through regional integration, collective action and development cooperation.”

Objectives of the Facility

The tissue culture laboratory and greenhouse will:

• Ensure a reliable supply of disease-free planting material.
• Preserve genetic material for agricultural and environmental purposes.
• Strengthen the Ministry’s workforce through skills development and capacity building.
• Produce a range of plants, including food crops and native species.
• Support food security, climate change resilience, and ecosystem preservation.

Expanding Opportunities

The ministry noted that the initiative will create broader opportunities in both the agricultural and environmental fields. These include:

• Alternative career paths for youth with science backgrounds in biology and chemistry.
• Collaboration with conservation specialists to protect rare and endangered species.
• Greater opportunities for sustainable agro-business through the reliable production of preferred crop varieties.
• Reduced reliance on chemical pesticides by eliminating plant viruses in a controlled environment.

Funding Support

The facility is being financed under the OECS ILM project, part of the “Integrated Landscape Approaches and Investments in Sustainable Land Management in the OECS,” funded through the European Union Global Public Goods and Challenges Programme.

The ministry said the partnership reflects a strong step towards advancing Montserrat’s agricultural development, strengthening food security, and equipping the next generation with tools to address climate change and conservation challenges.